In San Antonio, Texas there is a group of believers who have been worshipping and serving the Lord as part of EFC-MAYM for almost 10 years now. The San Antonio Iglesia Amigos has deep roots among Friends in Guatemala, where two Friends missionaries from Bakersfield, California arrived in 1902 to follow their calling to announce the Good News of Jesus’ salvation. Out of that rich soil, a vine of Friends Churches took root that led to Runy and Mimi Moscoso (a husband and wife with their two children) who have followed a similar calling to come to the United States to announce that same Good News here.
Circumstances in life can be convoluted – and so it was with this couple. After completing his studies in business administration, Runy and Mimi followed an invitation to join the rest of Mimi’s family in the United States in 2001. When they connected with the Hispanic Friends Church in Las Vegas, Nevada they began to sense God’s leading for them toward ministry and they started preparing themselves by studying while jumping into active ministry roles in that vibrant church.
When the family moved to San Antonio in 2009 they quickly became involved in a local church, but they longed to bring together Friends for starting a new church. Eventually they met another couple who had been part of the Friends Church in Guatemala and shared the same longing to see a Hispanic Friends congregation established in San Antonio. After prayerful consideration, the two families made the decision to move forward and held their first worship service in March of 2011.
Through thick and thin the group has persevered and grown. They started out by meeting in homes, and when they outgrew the available space they found a small building to rent. As bivocational church planters, Runy and Mimi worked long hours at their “day jobs” and then devoted their evenings and weekends to ministry. It was an exhausting routine, and both Runy and Mimi faced some serious health issues. For almost two years, Runy stepped aside from pastoring the group while Emilio Sánchez led. For the past several years Runy and Mimi have once again been leading the church, which has picked up some new members and extended its outreach.
Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has made things very different for them, but Runy feels that they have been able to use Zoom and other means effectively to maintain contact and to share the Word with their congregation. The Lord is providing for them spiritually and materially as they call on Him and see answers to their prayers. They are confident that it is the Lord who has led them to this ministry of establishing the San Antonio Friends Church and that the fruit will be for His glory.
Please pray for Runy and Mimi as they serve the Lord. Pray that the contacts made during this time will be consolidated into the congregation later. Pray for the group as they make decisions about their meeting location. The space they rent but have been unable to use during these last months is too small for growth, so perhaps this could be a time of transition.
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